During 8–11 December 2009, the Evolution and Ecology of Seagrass Seed Dispersal Vegetation Network working group brought together researchers with skills in evolutionary and population genetics, ecology and biology of pollination, seed dispersal and seedling recruitment, and hydrodynamic modelling to address the ecology and evolution of pollination and seed dispersal in seagrasses. The network group meetings were held at the Biodiversity Conservation Centre, Kings Park Botanic Garden in Perth, Australia.
Top (L-R): J.J. (Bob) Orth, Leonardo Ruiz Montoya, David Rivers, Renae Hovey, John Satton, Oriol Mascaró Vidal , Jillian Ooi; Middle: Ainsley Calladine, Ryan Lowe, Michelle Waycott, Marion Cambridge, Elisabeth Sinclair, Jennifer Verduin; Front: Don Les, Tim Carruthers, Gary Kendrick, Paul Lavery, Kor-Jent van Dijk
The specific aims of the working group were to:
- compare and contrast the unique strategies that seagrasses exhibit for pollination, seed dispersal and recruitment;
- identify how these strategies interact with the hydrodynamic environment to result in recruitment success, and;
- assess the influence that these strategies have on the genetic population structure, survival and evolution of seagrasses to a completely submerged existence.
The subject has not had a synthetic treatment and the areas of evolutionary and population genetics, reproductive and recruitment ecology and the physics of fully submerged reproduction and water borne dispersal. The outputs from the workshop will be a concise review article in a high profile journal (e.g. Bioscience or Trends in Ecology and Evolution) and the development of an ARC Discovery application that addresses future collaborative interdisciplinary research among the group.
Thanks to the organisers: Gary Kendrick, Michelle Waycott and Tim Carruthers, a very nearly finished review publication resulted at the end of the workshop. We were able to identify many of the gaps of information needed to come up with a holistic review on seagrass reproductive and dispersal strategies. The structure of the workshop is to be highly commended.
Jennifer Verduin